Pakistani Media: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev: Our strength lies in unity, and our path to success is through friendship and cooperation

Leading Pakistani media extensively covered the Seventh Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States, held in Tashkent on 15–16 November.

In particular, Pakistan’s leading media outlets - Global News Pakistan, Daily Spokesman, Islamabad Post, and Pakistan in the World - have published in-depth articles under the headline "President of Uzbekistan outlines key priorities for regional cooperation in a new format".

They reported that on 16 November, the Seventh Consultative Meeting of the Heads of Central Asian States was held under the chairmanship of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

According to reports, the summit was attended by Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, President of Turkmenistan, Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan, and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, as well as Kaha Imnadze, Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia.

At the opening of the summit, the President of Uzbekistan warmly announced Azerbaijan’s accession as a full-fledged member of the Consultative Meetings. As emphasized by Leader of Uzbekistan, this decision fully reflects the shared history, fraternal ties, and the close spiritual and cultural affinities that bind their peoples, serving the best interests of the region.

The reports also noted that the President of Uzbekistan expressed confidence that this strategic step would inject new momentum into the Consultative Meetings, open fresh horizons for expanding trade, economic, investment, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation, and foster consensus in addressing sustainable development issues.

"In essence, we will build a strong bridge between Central Asia and the South Caucasus, paving the way for the formation of a unified space for cooperation, which will undoubtedly strengthen the strategic connectivity and resilience of both regions", - Pakistani media quoted President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as saying.

Subsequently, President of Uzbekistan provided a concise analysis of the integration processes underway in the region over recent years. He emphasized that through open dialogue and joint proactive efforts, effective solutions have been found for a number of pressing regional challenges.

In his address, President of Uzbekistan highlighted that the region is actively integrating into the global economy, increasing its investment attractiveness, expanding opportunities for exports to third markets, and enhancing transit potential. Last year, the volume of mutual trade among regional countries reached USD 10.7 billion, while total investment in Central Asia grew by 17 percent.

The address also underscored systematic measures being taken to ensure security and stability, as well as to combat threats from terrorism, extremism, and transnational crime.

According to Pakistani media, the President highlighted the construction of the "China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan" railway and the Trans-Afghan transport corridor as priority projects for enhancing interregional transport connectivity.

The address emphasized that, from the perspective of regional security and stability, the documents adopted at the summit - Regional Security and Stability Concept and the Catalogue of Threats and Risks were highly valued. Considering the impact of the situation in Afghanistan on security and the need for sustainable development across the region, the integration of Afghanistan into regional infrastructure, energy, and transport projects was deemed essential. In this context, President of Uzbekistan highlighted the necessity of transforming the recently held "Fergana Peace Forum" into a regular international forum.

In conclusion, President of Uzbekistan emphasized that the documents being adopted today and the initiatives being advanced embody a shared goal: the establishment of a stable, secure, and prosperous Central Asia.

"I want to underscore that our strength lies in unity, and our path to success is through friendship and cooperation. Only by uniting, based on mutual respect, solidarity, and a strategic vision, will we achieve our noble goal",  – Pakistani media quoted President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as saying.